3.12.17

A Film a Week - Gwendolyn

The protagonist of Ruth
Kaaserer’s new documentary, Gwendolyn, which is
avant-premiering at the Viennale before its official world premiere
at DOK Leipzig, Gwendolyn Leick, is a woman in her
sixties. She is an Austrian ex-pat living in London, a retired
anthropologist, a part-time writer, a cancer survivor and an athlete.
She started competing in weightlifting at the age of 52, rose to
claim the titles of European and World Champion in the under-52kg
category, and is now on the path to recovery after her painful
illness and has her sights firmly set on the throne. Closely
monitored by her coach, Pat, supported by her seemingly younger
Ivorian husband Charlie and occasionally visited by family members,
she tests her limits day after day.

Gwendolyn is
Kaaserer’s second feature-length documentary, after the 2014 title
Tough Cookies, and both of them examine the topic of women
and their struggle through physically demanding, so-called “male”,
sports. Tough Cookies followed three American female boxers,
both amateurs and professionals, their life on the fringes of
society, and their soul-searching through the often brutal sport.
Gwendolyn Leick is a different type of protagonist, though: she is at
peace with herself, she seems fulfilled in her life, and she does not
have to prove anything to anyone. Her fight is not against her
competitors, but against her illness, which lurks just around the
corner, as well as her inner weakness. She is the prototype of a
strong woman and the main reason why the film works outside of the
sports and illness-beating niches.

Shot on location in
Great Britain, Germany, Austria and Azerbaijan, where the Master’s
Competition final took place, the film follows Gwendolyn’s athletic
and personal journey, but also gives an insight into the mind of this
unusual woman and her unique life path. Kaaserer and her director of
photography, Serafin Spitzer, prefer to stay close
to the protagonist at her home, at Pat’s gym and at the
championships she attends, focusing on her facial expression and
muscle tension, but they also give her some space to breathe during
the more contemplative parts, such as her trips into nature and the
time she spends on the balcony, suggesting that there is more to it
than merely the components of physical pain and a feeling of
accomplishment thanks to the sport results. Weightlifting might be a
bit of an “on the nose” metaphor for the daily weight pulling
called life, but in Gwendolyn, it works because of its
protagonist, portrayed as a complete, integral human being.